Captain Kangaroo

Marshall Message Board

Watching Penn State run the direct snap play and push us down the field raises a little concern for the Pitt game. I think Pitt is going to try a power running game. It'll be interesting to see what Amato does to counteract it. I think our DB's proved pretty capable against a solid QB on Saturday, so we should be able to put an extra body on the line and go single-coverage when necessary. But Marshall first...

I've seen this line of thinking a couple times recently. I completely disagree with it. Win, and win now. Nothing about next year is guaranteed. We can just as easily be worse in 2015. Wait until next year...we have all these phenomenal players coming in next year...all our existing players will be so much better next year...next year is the year we're set up to knock off a BCS program... I've seen that line of thinking with the Zips basketball team forever. And despite whatever 4-star kid...BCS transfer...phenomenal recruiting class...whatever happens, we ebb and flow around 21 wins year-in-year-out. And you're always a 5 lb bale of pot away from the CBI. This Zips football team team has the capability to win a championship in 2014. The MAC East is there for the taking. We can win it this year.

Our defense looks like a MAC Championship defense. Our offense doesn't.

We are absolutely petrified of the endzone. We want no part of it.

Penn State offensive playcalling is idiotic.

Why no deep balls today?

Gave up 3 3rd and longs. Not getting pressure on the QB. Where are our LB's today?

I wonder if the Zips will be able to wear-down the Penn State defense in the 2nd half? Penn State has only 75 scholarship players, and their D was on the field an awful lot in the 1st half

If Tyler Williams can pull in balls like that, Bickley won't see the field. Tough chance, but someone's gotta make an extraordinary play for us to win. That would have been one. Wonder if we'll see Bickley in the 2nd half?

I thought the same thing.

Chris Givins having himself a game!

Never mentioned Durant before. If he's a baller, what a huge boost to our secondary. We need a relative unknown to step up there. Awesome play.

Zips making big MAC-like mistakes in quarter #1. Shanked chip shot FG. Blown coverage results in a PSU walk-in TD. Dropped pass would have been a 1st down in PSU territory. Stupid mistakes need to stop or we'll dig ourselves too deep a hole.

One of the easiest TD's you'll ever see...

Creative...

O'Leary is worse than Stein. He was worse in camp, and he's worse now. Too much pressure from a 3-man rush. Gotta get points when you're on the 7 yard line.

At least no one will be grousing about an unfair NCAA tournament seed this year.

People that buy cheapie tickets usually sneak their own hot dogs, beer and popcorn into games underneath their jackets. And they still wear "moving A" logo apparel. They aren't spending much on stadium concessions or Pohl jerseys. Compete for titles. Win games. That will pack the stands. Filling a 30k stadium should be a joke if the team's any good, and the gameday experience is fun. And games aren't on Tuesdays.

Hypothetical numbers: Say there were 30,000 tickets "sold" for the Acme Zip game, at $2.00 each. And 9100 tickets sold for the InfoCision opener at $15.00 each. Which is better?

Grades: QB: B- Pohl missed some easy, wide-open WR's. But overall, did a nice job. Hope he worked out some kinks and is sharp for Game #2. Woodson looked competent in mop-up duty. It was nice to get him some reps. I can't see Hirshmann getting any PT this season. There's no upside to it, and he's still visibly hobbled. OL: C- Struggled to get any surge against an inferior opponent. Mediocre pass blocking. They need to make some big positive strides over the next 8 days. Getting Brown eligible will be a huge help. WR: B Bickley had a lot of drops last season, and it seems to have carried over to this season. He needs to start catching footballs. Simple as that. Pratt was invisible. LT Smith needs more touches...he can have a huge year, if we get him the ball. MTB had a nice game. D'Orazio - underutilized. Sconiers had a nice deep catch. He can be a a nice X-factor for us this season. Kicking/Special Teams: C....D.... Punting was fine. But Mrs. O'Leary's cow had better kicks than Tom O'Leary. Don't pack your bags yet, Robert Stein. 0-1 on FG's and 5-6 on XP's is not gonna fly with TB. It wouldn't shock me if Stein is kicking @ Penn State. Stein drilled a lot of deep kick-offs. Nice job there. Rossi did an excellent job covering kicks too. DL: B+ Overall did a nice job of being disruptive and neutralizing a good opposing QB. But our run defense was "meh" for almost 2 quarters. I guess it was good that they slacked off a bit...it will give Amato something to yell and remind them of during practice next week. 10 TFL's is pretty good for a defense. Pittman and Okafor made impacts, and Grice is always an animal. LB's: A- March, Mizell, Evans and Brown did a great job. Mizell was outstanding. DB's: B- Decent job, but Howard's WR's aren't anything to write home about. While there were no INT's, for the most part they were in position to make plays all evening, and prevented any big plays from happening. Coaching: Incomplete Great aggressive game plan in the beginning, but they need to get the run game going. Too long of a dry spell after TD #3. What was the pass play on 4th and 1 on the Howard 3 yard line? C'mon, Milwee. Overall, a fun night. The DL's and LB's look as good as advertised, and the DB's seem competent. That will keep us in a lot of games this year. Offense needs to improve if we're going to make any hay in '14. Running game first and foremost.

I spoke to someone at UA today. They say they are lobbying for an afternoon game, but it will be up to ESPN. I told the guy I was hoping for a night game, and he acted somewhat shocked. I said: "Those late evening Marshall games 8 to 12 years ago were awesome sporting environments. Beyond that, people can take care of their business during the day...do whatever family/kids/house stuff you need to take care of...and then focus on the Zips in the evening. There's too much competition for the Zips attention on a Saturday afternoon. Unless you have no kids." In Columbus, community kids stuff is scheduled around Ohio State games. And if 30,000 families can't attend the OSU games, there's another 30,000 waiting to take their place. Not so in Akron. In 5 years, when my kid's in college, I won't care. But for now I love Saturday evening Zips games.

Proven otherwise. Elton, you were right. Mizell > Brown.

Who knew Mizell sat out last season after transferring?